OMAN SEEKS TO NEGOTIATE CSI FOR PORTS SALALAH,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000569 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI (TROBERTS),NP/ECC (TGROEN, KCROUCH), EMBASSY AMMAN (JIRVINE) DHS FOR COMMISSIONER BONNER E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2015 TAGS: ETTC KSTC PARM PREL ETRD MU SUBJECT: OMAN SEEKS TO NEGOTIATE CSI FOR PORTS SALALAH, SULTAN QABOOS, AND SOHAR REF: A. MUSCAT 232 ¶B. MUSCAT 279 ¶C. MUSCAT 406 ¶D. USNATO 211 Classified By: Ambassador Richard L. Baltimore III. Reason: 1.4 (b) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Embassy by note verbale April 2 of the Sultanate's formal request to initiate negotiations on designating the ports of Salalah, Sultan Qaboos (Muscat),and Sohar as participants in the Container Security Initiative (CSI) program by the end of ¶2005. The Ministry of Transportation and Communication sent its request directly to the Commissioner of the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency in a letter dated March ¶14. Oman's appeal to the Department of Homeland Security for inclusion in the CSI follows an active year of cooperation across a wide range of proliferation and border security activities, including a Proliferation Security Initiative-related air interdiction exercise in March and an Export Control and Border Security seminar on WMD in February. With the anticipated signing of a free trade agreement later this year, the government of Oman seeks to strengthen bilateral ties and increase its competitiveness through more enhanced border and port security. End summary. -------------- CSI: EYE ON THE PRIZE -------------- ¶2. (C) The Embassy received April 2 a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking to initiate formal negotiations on full participation in the Container Security Initiative (CSI) program. Under Secretary of Transport Salim bin Mohammed al-Nu'aimi sent the official request directly to Commissioner Richard C. Bonner of the United States Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security. The complete text, stamped "confidential" by the MFA, is as follows: BEGIN TEXT: The government of the Sultanate of Oman has enjoyed deep and fruitful economic and political relations with the United States of America since 1833. The current year marks an historic chapter in our bilateral relations as our two countries formally embark upon negotiations on a free trade agreement. This opportunity will greatly enhance our bilateral trade relations, and comes as part of our strategic decision to diversify our economy. Part of this diversification includes a substantial expansion of our commercial ports. As a result, the port of Sultan Qaboos, as well as Salalah and Sohar ports, will continue to grow quite rapidly. In light of this, the Sultanate of Oman expressed its strong interest in the Container Security Initiative in 2003. Having studied closely the CSI information available and becoming a member of the "white list" of the International Maritime Organization, we would like to initiate formal negotiations on designating the ports of Salalah, Sultan Qaboos, and Sohar as participants in the CSI program. I hope that we might successfully conclude an agreement to this effect before the end of 2005. I wish to renew the assurances of Oman's deep friendship and its historical close bilateral relations with the United States, and look forward to receiving your positive response. END TEXT. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶3. (C) Oman, a key U.S. partner in the global war on terror, has made significant strides in the past year on a number of border and maritime security issues. Oman achieved compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Code (ISPS),participated in a Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) air interdiction exercise, and continues to solicit Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) training programs, including a recently completed seminar on WMD Awareness. (NOTE: Feedback from the WMD seminar highlighted the need for more advanced container clearance, especially in light of Port Salalah's continuing expansion as one of the busiest transshipment ports in the world. See ref C. END NOTE.) At a recent NATO-sponsored forum for Gulf Cooperation Council representatives on enhancing NATO's relationship with states in the Broader Middle East, GCC participation in the CSI program was identified as a valuable complementary activity (ref D). With the anticipated signing of a free trade agreement with the U.S. later this year, the government of Oman seeks to strengthen bilateral ties and increase its competitiveness through more enhanced border and port security. The Embassy strongly endorses Oman's request to participate in CSI. BALTIMORE